Theo

Alaska Dynamics, LLC

Anchorage, AK

My name is Theo Graber. I live in Anchorage, Alaska with my wife Peggy and two Dalmatians.

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by machines. I have over twenty years of experience working in small scale manufacturing. Over the years I have made a wide variety of things from high end wooden camera tripods and injection molds to digital X-Ray imaging systems. I am a talented product designer, precision machinist, and welder. I also have strong skills in 3D CAD design, graphics, electronics fabrication, and extensive experience working with small businesses.

My life long fascination with the space program is in part responsible for the invention of the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator that I am asking you to help me with today.

One fine evening I was relaxing in a friend's cabin far up the Yentna river in Alaska after a long day of fishing. As I watched the heat rippling from the stove pipe of the wood stove and the generator droned away outside, I thought to myself, ‘there has to be a way to harness this heat energy to power the lights without that noisy generator!’ I remembered the thermoelectric generators NASA used on the Voyager spacecraft that were launched when I was a kid. They generate power for the spacecraft from the temperature differential between the cold of space and red hot plutonium 238. I imagined the stove pipe as the heat source instead of the plutonium and the idea for the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator was born.

Business Description

Alaska Dynamics, LLC was founded in early 2012 by Theo Graber to develop small scale alternative energy systems for home based power generation. By allowing users to generate their own power on-site we not only reduce the demands put upon our energy infrastructure but reduce consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels while saving money and providing energy independence.

Our first product, the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator, is a thermoelectric generator for wood stoves. It harnesses the temperature differential between the hot flue gas in the stove pipe and the cooler air of the room to generate electricity whenever the stove is burning. The device was designed for use in rural and off grid locations but can be installed on any wood stove to provide power. By taking advantage of a cutting edge automatically damped catalytic converter the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator also improves stove efficiency and reduces emissions while it is making power.

For more detailed information about the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator and Alaska Dynamics please visit our website at alaskadynamics.com.

What is the purpose of this loan?

The loan I am requesting today will allow me to build and test a working prototype of the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator, paying for materials and a few tools needed to build the prototype and the sensors needed to test it. It will then be extensively tested and operational data recorded in order to refine the design for production.

Having a working prototype and operational data is crucial to proceed to the next stage in our business, securing funding for an initial small production run and field testing.

Our goal is to have the Delta-T Wood Stove Generator fully tested and ready for production in two years. With a proven and tested prototype Alaska Dynamics will bring this small scale alternative energy system to wood heated homes in cold climates around the word.

AEDC has been working with Theo on his project for over six months now. We have assisted him with the development of his business plan, and had his product screened by various engineers and rural development professionals all of whom have expressed an interest in seeing a prototype.

Tell us about this borrower's personality and character, and why you are endorsing him or her for a Kiva Zip loan.

Theo is a genuine mechanical genius having built robotic mechanisms for use on the pipeline and in other advanced industries in Alaska. He has spent considerable time in rural Alaska and has direct experience with the energy and environmental concerns in the region. He is a motivated and brilliant individual who AEDC is confident will develop a product that will benefit rural Alaska as well as the environment.

Tell us about this borrower's business, and why you believe a Kiva Zip loan will contribute to his or her success.

Theo's model addresses several needs within Alaska and, I suspect in developing countries across the world. Additionally, the self engaging catalytic converter which is powered by the waste heat generated from the stove would be an excellent stand alone commercial product which has already generated interest from the business community. By funding the development of Theo's prototype, Kiva Zip will open up a range of secondary funding opportunities for this program that are just waiting for a proof of concept. Since the technology used in this device is pre-existing and well known there is no reason to expect significant issues with the creation of the prototype, so the chances of a successful product are high.

Theo is a genuine mechanical genius having built robotic mechanisms for use on the pipeline and in other advanced industries in Alaska. He has spent considerable time in rural Alaska and has direct experience with the energy and environmental concerns in the region. He is a motivated and brilli...

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